(Re)Storying with Augmented Reality to Build Indigenous-Settler Relations

We Are All Related: (Re)Storying With Augmented Reality to Build Indigenous-Settler Relations by Amanda Almond A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Community Engagement School of Public Health University of Alberta ⒸAmanda Almond, 2021 Abstract Engaging settlers in inviting yet unsettling ways to understand settler colonialism and introduce Indigenous epistemologies may help build and sustain Indigenous-settler relationships. Augmented reality (AR) offers an opportunity to co-create and share Indigenous digital stories connected to territory to create sites of (re)storying that challenge colonial narratives that treaties involved land surrender. This thesis describes and reflects on my experiences participating in a series of projects involving Treaty 6 marker sculptures and digital media, including developing and prototyping learn-by-design resources for students and teachers to respectfully co-create AR stories with Indigenous Knowledge Keepers, Elders, and storytellers. Building on that work, I share my experience co-creating and sharing a trail of AR stories situated at Treaty 6 marker sculptures located in or near amiskwaciy-wâskahikan (also known as Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) through a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach grounded in relationships and ongoing consent. Co-creating the story trail and selecting an AR storytelling platform was guided by the 4Rs of respect, relevance, reciprocity, and responsibility, OCAP®, data sovereignty, and a commitment to respect and adhere to Indigenous approaches to traditional cultural expression and protocol. Visitors to the Treaty 6 marker sculptures can experience AR stories from a respected Knowledge Keeper on what it means to be in relationship on Treaty 6 territory. Hearing these stories may prompt reflection on past, current, and future relationships and initiate further learning to build relationships and understanding. ii Preface This thesis is an original work by Amanda Almond. The research project, of which this thesis is a part, received research ethics approval from the University of Alberta Research Ethics Board, Project Name “(Re)storying with augmented reality to build Indigenous-settler relations”, Pro00093408, November 18, 2019. This thesis project is grounded in the We Are All Related AR project (Pro00083476) led by Dr. Rob McMahon (University of Alberta) and Dr. Diane Janes (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology) in collaboration with Dr. Diana Steinhauer (Yellowhead Tribal College, Saddle Lake Cree Nation) and Stewart Steinhauer (Saddle Lake Cree Nation). The We Are All Related AR project developed the foundation for this work, including governance, ceremonial, relational, ethical, copyright/intellectual property, research, and AR technical and design considerations. It also generated the AR story co-creation process which was then piloted in a graduate studies course and further developed and applied in this thesis (Pro00084226). I reflect on my involvement in these projects as a student and Graduate Research Assistant in chapter 3 and apply the AR story co-creation process to create an AR story trail as a new project specific to this thesis in chapters 4 and 5. The We Are All Related AR project team published an article on the initial project in 2019: McMahon, R., Almond, A., Whistance-Smith, G., Steinhauer, D., Steinhauer, S., & Janes, D.P.. (2019). Sweetgrass AR: Exploring augmented reality as a resource for Indigenous-settler relations in International Journal of Communication, 13, 4530–4552. We also published an article in 2018: Almond, A., McMahon, R., Janes, D.P., Whistance-Smith, G., Steinhauer, D., and Steinhauer, S. (2018). We are all related: Using augmented reality as a learning resource for Indigenous-settler relations in Northern Public Affairs 6(2). This thesis project is inspired by and aims to reflect the team-based and collaborative nature of both community-based participatory research (CBPR) and the relational accountability of Indigenous research methodologies. The We Are All Related AR project is documented at www.sweetgrassAR.ca iii Acknowledgments Thank you to my thesis supervisor Dr. Rob McMahon for inviting me to be part of the We Are All Related AR project and for the endless support. Thank you to committee member Dr. Lana Whiskeyjack for your guidance and for all of our conversations, especially the ones where we laugh together. Thank you to committee member Dr. Gavin Renwick for your enthusiasm, encouragement and for prompting me to think more creatively. Thank you to Dr. Diana Steinhauer and to Stewart Steinhauer for your guidance throughout our projects together. It has meant so much to me and I am deeply grateful. Thank you to my writing partners Keith King, Aretha Greatrix, and the open-hearted Feminist Writing Group for making writing supportive and joyful. Thank you to Nicole Andersen, for always being there for me. Thank you to my parents, sisters, husband, and son for supporting me throughout my MA program. I could not have done this without you. This thesis work was supported by the University of Alberta's Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund, the Métis Settlements Life Skills Journey project (funded by Alberta Health Services) at the University of Alberta, and the Killam Accelerator Research Award held by Dr. McMahon at the University of Alberta. iv Table of Contents Abstract ii Preface iii Acknowledgments iv Table of Contents v List of Tables vii List of Figures viii Chapter One: Introduction 1 Introduction 1 Thesis Context 2 Positioning 4 What is Augmented Reality? 7 A CBPR Approach to AR Story Co-Creation 9 Terminology and Names 11 Thesis Overview 12 Chapter Two: Indigenous Digital Storytelling with Augmented Reality 14 Literature Review 14 Methodology 14 Storytelling and Indigenous Digital Storytelling 17 (Re)Storying: Telling Unseen Stories through Augmented Reality 26 Augmented Reality in Indigenous Contexts 27 How Can (Re)storying Through the Co-creation and Sharing of AR Stories Support Building Indigenous-Settler Relations? 30 Chapter Three: The We Are All Related AR Guidebooks & Prototype AR Stories 32 Exploring AR for Learning and Relationship Building 34 Laying the Groundwork for Co-Creation AR Stories 37 Creating the Story Together 39 Sharing & Stewarding the Story 42 OCAP® Principles 42 Data Sovereignty 43 Intellectual Property & Copyright 43 v Finalizing the Guidebooks 45 We Are All Related AR Prototype Stories 46 We Are All Related AR Graduate Course 49 Sharing the Guidebooks 51 Conclusion 52 Chapter Four: Selecting an AR Platform for Indigenous (Re)Storying 54 Searching for AR Platforms to Review 55 Platform Characteristics & Features 57 AR Content Trigger 58 Types of AR Content Supported 61 Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession 61 Interactive AR Capability 64 Cost 64 Analytics 65 Offline Access 66 Android & iOS 66 Platform Testing 66 Platform Selection 68 Chapter Five: Co-Creating a Treaty 6 Marker AR Story Trail 70 (Re)storying Through the Co-creation and Sharing of AR Stories to Support Building Indigenous-Settler Relations 70 The Co-creation Process 75 Co-Creating and Designing the AR stories 79 Sharing the Stories 84 Chapter Six: Conclusion 86 Contributions to the Field 89 Recommendations for Future Research 90 Conclusion 90 References 92 Appendices 118 vi List of Tables Table 1. Exclusion Criteria for AR Platforms 56 Table 2. Overview of AR Platform Characteristics Reviewed 58 Table 3. The AR Story Trail: Treaty 6 Marker Sculptures and AR Story Placement 81 vii List of Figures Figure 1. Pokémon Go Character Viewed Through a Mobile Phone 8 Figure 2. Person Wearing a VR headset 8 Figure 3. Cover of the We Are All Related AR Student Guidebook 33 Figure 4. Key Considerations for the Story Co-Creation Process 36 Figure 5. Student Guidebook Excerpt Describing the Threads Braided 37 Throughout Figure 6. Concept Diagram for Custom App Design 47 Figure 7. Screenshot of the Title Images Displayed After Scanning the Crossed 49 Feathers Design in HP Reveal Figure 8. Screenshot of the tānisi (hello) Video Beginning to Play in HP Reveal 49 Figure 9. Poster for a We Are All Related AR Public Presentation 52 Figure 10. Earrings with Cabochons that Activate Métis AR Content 59 Figure 11. The Four Phases of Community Based Research 77 Figure 12. Ongoing Consent and Approvals throughout this Thesis Project 83 Figure 13. Map of AR Stories at the Treaty 6 Marker Sculpture at Campus Saint- 84 Jean as Viewed in awe Figure 14. The CBPR Process Applied to this Thesis Project 88 Figure 15. Google Map Screenshot of Treaty 6 Marker Sculpture Locations and 120 Saddle Lake Cree Nation Figure 16. Google Map Screenshot of Treaty 6 Marker Sculpture Locations in 121 Central amiskwaciy-wâskahikan (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) viii Chapter One: Introduction Introduction This thesis explores and reflects on my experiences of (re)storying through co-creating and sharing treaty stories in augmented reality (AR) with the goal of building Indigenous-settler relationships and understanding. Finding ways to engage settlers in inviting yet unsettling ways to understand settler colonialism and introduce Indigenous epistemologies may help build and sustain Indigenous-settler relationships. One approach is (re)storying or (re)telling—sharing stories which challenge dominant narratives (Regan, 2010; Dion, 2004). AR offers a digital platform to share Indigenous counter-narratives in an engaging format connected to territory and place. My work in this thesis

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